Teen's Bail In Slaying Is Revoked Becky Brown Defendant Is Accused Of Drinking

July 23, 1985|by DEBBIE GARLICKI, The Morning Call

Lehigh County Judge Maxwell E. Davison yesterday revoked bail for Edward Grey, convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 13-year-old Catasauqua girl in 1983.

Davison found that Grey, 18, violated a condition of bail by drinking alcoholic beverages.

He ordered that Grey be taken to the Lehigh County Detention Home, instead of the county prison, because of his age.

Davison told Grey that "disruptive" behavior could mean his transfer to the prison.

"If you misbehave, my guess is that the authorities out there won't wait two minutes to ask for your transfer to Lehigh County Prison," he said.

Grey began to cry and looked imploringly at his mother and sister, who gasped and started crying when Davison gave the order.

Grey, formerly of Coplay, and Timothy Fenstermaker, 18, of Whitehall Township were convicted by a jury last November of involuntary manslaughter, attempted rape and indecent assault in the death of Rebecca Brown.

Brent Smith, 20, of Catasauqua pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and testified against Grey and Fenstermaker. He was sentenced to one to two years in the county prison.

After the trial, Davison continued $25,000 bail for Grey and Fenstermaker while they appealed their convictions. But Davison said bail could be revoked if they used alcohol or drugs or were arrested on any charges.

Grey and Fenstermaker testified that they were drinking with Brown near a railroad trestle in Catasauqua the night before her half-clothed body was found on Dec. 24, 1983.

Allentown Patrolman Michael Pummer testified at the hearing yesterday that he saw Grey, another man and a woman near a car in the Lehigh Parkway on May 28.

He said Grey admitted he had been drinking and pleaded with Pummer not to arrest him.

Doug Bruder, 24, and Terry Felices, 18, who were with Grey, testified that Grey did not drink any beer from a six-pack that was found in a child- restraining seat in the back seat of the car.

Pummer did not arrest Grey butlater contacted Catasauqua Detective David Miller, the prosecutor in the Brown trial, according to Assistant District Attorney Michael McIntyre.

Bruder said he was the only one drinking and testified that Grey was asleep in the back seat on the drive to the park.

He said that he put a bottle of beer on the ground when Pummer approached the car and that Grey "accidentally" kicked the bottle under the car.

Pummer testified that he saw Grey throw what he thought was a beer can under the car.

Grey's attorney, J. Brian Johnson, contended that his witnesses were credible and that Pummer may have committed "human error" and only thought he heard Grey say he was drinking.

"I think the suggestion that Ed is a danger is unfounded," he said.

Citing "two guys, one girl and booze," McIntyre argued that Grey was "in the same position that he allowed himself to get in that resulted in a young girl's (Brown's) death."

In revoking bail, Davison said, "Conditions of bail mean nothing to anybody unless they are enforced when those conditions are violated."